U.S. patent number 8,511,116 [Application Number 12/744,766] was granted by the patent office on 2013-08-20 for washing/drying machine.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Haier Group Corporation, Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd.. The grantee listed for this patent is Yoshikazu Bamba, Satoshi Nakamura, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Takahiro Tsuji. Invention is credited to Yoshikazu Bamba, Satoshi Nakamura, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Takahiro Tsuji.
United States Patent |
8,511,116 |
Nakamura , et al. |
August 20, 2013 |
Washing/drying machine
Abstract
The inventive washing/drying machine is capable of cleaning
water while performing a laundry process, and uses water filtered
by a filter for dehumidification in a drying process, thereby
achieving water saving. The washing/drying machine (1) includes a
washing tub (3), a water circulation passage (55, 57, 26, 59)
through which water is circulated from the washing tub (3), a
circulation pump (25) provided in the water circulation passage, a
filter unit (15) for filtering the water circulated through the
water circulation passage to trap foreign matter, a gas-liquid
mixer (27) for mixing cleaning air containing ozone generated by an
ozone generator (19) with the circulated water, a drying air duct
(20) for use in the drying process, air blowing/heating means (70)
for circulating air from the washing tub (3) through the drying air
duct (20) in the drying process, a duct water supply passage (24)
for supplying the water filtered by the filter unit (15) to the
drying air duct (20) for dehumidification, and a drying pump (23)
for pumping out the water filtered by the filter unit (15) through
the duct water supply passage.
Inventors: |
Nakamura; Satoshi (Otsu,
JP), Tanaka; Hiroyuki (Kusatsu, JP), Bamba;
Yoshikazu (Otsu, JP), Tsuji; Takahiro (Otsu,
JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Nakamura; Satoshi
Tanaka; Hiroyuki
Bamba; Yoshikazu
Tsuji; Takahiro |
Otsu
Kusatsu
Otsu
Otsu |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
JP
JP
JP
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Haier Group Corporation
(Shandong, CN)
Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. (Shandong,
CN)
|
Family
ID: |
40678675 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/744,766 |
Filed: |
November 28, 2008 |
PCT
Filed: |
November 28, 2008 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/JP2008/071730 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
May 26, 2010 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2009/069786 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
June 04, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20100300154 A1 |
Dec 2, 2010 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 29, 2007 [JP] |
|
|
2007-309191 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/18F;
68/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F
39/083 (20130101); D06F 58/20 (20130101); D06F
37/42 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D06F
29/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;68/19.1,19.2,20,18F
;34/596 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1120090 |
|
Apr 1996 |
|
CN |
|
04-244198 |
|
Sep 1992 |
|
JP |
|
07-144086 |
|
Jun 1995 |
|
JP |
|
2002-035492 |
|
Feb 2002 |
|
JP |
|
2003-236290 |
|
Aug 2003 |
|
JP |
|
2006-247185 |
|
Sep 2006 |
|
JP |
|
2007-181560 |
|
Jul 2007 |
|
JP |
|
2007-181608 |
|
Jul 2007 |
|
JP |
|
Other References
English translation of International Preliminary Report on
Patentability and Written Opinion of the International Searching
Authority issued in International Patent Application No.
PCT/JP2008/071730, mailed Jun. 10, 2010. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Kornakov; Michael
Assistant Examiner: Cormier; David
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A washing/drying machine comprising: a washing tub; a water
circulation passage disposed outside the washing tub and having
opposite ends connected to the washing tub; a circulation pump
provided in the water circulation passage for pumping water out of
the washing tub through one of the opposite ends of the water
circulation passage and feeding the pumped water back into the
washing tub through the other end of the water circulation passage;
a filter provided upstream of the pump with respect a water flow
direction in the water circulation passage for filtering the pumped
water to trap dust; a cleaning air generator which generates
cleaning air; a gas-liquid mixer provided downstream of the pump
with respect to the water flow direction in the water circulation
passage for mixing the cleaning air generated by the cleaning air
generator with water flowing through the water circulation passage;
a drying air duct disposed outside the washing tub and having
opposite ends connected to the washing tub for use in a drying
process; air blowing/heating means provided in the drying air duct
for sucking air out of the washing tub through one of the opposite
ends of the drying air duct, heating the sucked air and feeding the
heated air back into the washing tub through the other end of the
drying air duct in the drying process; a duct water supply passage
branched from an outlet port of the filter for supplying the
filtered water to a predetermined position in the drying air duct;
and a drying pump provided in the duct water supply passage for
feeding the water filtered by the filter into the drying air duct
to cause the filtered water to fall within the drying air duct,
wherein the filter includes a case, and a filtering member
removably accommodated in the case, wherein the case has an inlet
port through which the water flowing out of the washing tub is
caused to flow into the case, an outlet port through which the
filtered water is caused to flow out of the case as recycling
water, and a drain port through which the water in the case is
drained outside the machine, wherein the filtering member has a
recycling water filtering wall portion formed with smaller
filtering holes and a drain water filtering wall portion formed
with larger filtering holes, wherein a part of the water flowing
into the case through the inlet port flows through the recycling
water filtering wall portion and flows out of the case through the
outlet port, wherein the filtering member includes a rib projecting
outward from a periphery of the recycling water filtering wall
portion to space the filtering member from an interior wall of the
case by a predetermined distance which is greater than zero and not
greater than the maximum diameter of the smaller filtering
holes.
2. The washing/drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the
gas-liquid mixer includes a venturi tube having a restrictive
portion through which water flows, and an air supply passage
connected to the restrictive portion of the venturi tube for
supplying the cleaning air to the restrictive portion, wherein the
restrictive portion of the venturi tube has an inner diameter that
is greater than a filtering hole size of the filter.
3. The washing/drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the
outlet port of the case is provided with a water passage which
guides the water flowing out through the outlet port toward the
drying pump, and a branch water passage branched from the water
passage which guides the water toward the drying pump.
4. The washing/drying machine according to claim 1 or 3, wherein
the outlet port is provided at an upper portion of the case, and
the drain port is provided at a lower portion of the case, wherein
the recycling water filtering wall portion of the filtering member
is located at a higher position than the drain water filtering wall
portion in the case.
5. The washing/drying machine according to claim 4, wherein the
case includes a longitudinal portion, wherein the longitudinal
portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction, wherein
the outlet port is provided at an upper portion of the longitudinal
portion, and the drain port is provided at a lower portion of the
longitudinal portion.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the U.S. National Phase under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.371 of International Application No. PCT/JP2008/071730, filed
on Nov. 28, 2008, which in turn claims the benefit of Japanese
Application No. 2007-309191, filed on Nov. 29, 2007, the
disclosures of which Applications are incorporated by reference
herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a washing/drying machine and,
particularly, to a washing/drying machine having a special
arrangement for a laundry process and a drying process.
BACKGROUND ART
The inventor of the present invention previously proposed a
washing/drying machine including a mechanism capable of cleaning
water used for a laundry process with ozone (see Patent Document
1).
The washing/drying machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes
a water storage tank, and is configured to clean water stored in
the water storage tank with ozone.
Further, the inventor of the present invention proposed the
construction of a filtering device which filters the water used for
the laundry process before the water is stored in the water storage
tank (see Patent Document 2).
A washing/drying machine having a drying function is generally
configured such that air in a washing tub in which garment is
contained is heated by circulating the air from the washing tub
through a drying air duct and, for dehumidification of hot and wet
air flowing out of the washing tub, water is supplied into the
drying air duct and heat-exchanged with the air in a drying process
(see, for example, Patent Documents 3, 4 and 5).
Patent Document 3 proposes an arrangement which includes a
water-cooled dehumidifier typically requiring about 6-liter water
for dehumidification, and is configured such that bathwater is
supplied as dehumidification water for water saving and, when the
bathwater is exhausted, the drying process is continued by using
tap water (see paragraphs [0003] to [0005] in Patent Document
3).
Patent Document 4 proposes a technique of controlling the supply
amount of dehumidification water to be supplied for heat exchange
based on a difference between the temperature of hot air flowing
out of a washing tub before the heat exchange and the temperature
of the dehumidification water after the heat exchange with the hot
air without excess and deficiency of the dehumidification water,
while ensuring effective dehumidification (see [SUMMARY] and
paragraphs [0003] to [0008] and [0020] in Patent Document 4).
Patent Document 5 proposes a technique of performing an
intermittent cooling water supply control by detecting the
temperature of air taken out of a washing tub and heat-exchanged
with cooling water and the temperature of the cooling water after
the heat exchange with the air, calculating the average of the
temperatures, and supplying the cooling water for the heat exchange
based on the average in order to ensure higher drying capability
and reduction of the consumption of the cooling water for water
saving (see [SUMMARY] and [Claim 1] in Patent Document 5). Patent
Document 1: JP-A-2007-181608 Patent Document 2: JP-A-2007-181560
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2002-35492 Patent Document 4:
JP-A-2003-236290 Patent Document 5: JP-A-2006-247185
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The washing/drying machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, which is
configured to store the water used for the laundry process in the
water storage tank and clean the stored water with ozone for
recycling, is advantageous for water saving.
On the other hand, there is a demand for a washing/drying machine
which is capable of advantageously cleaning laundry with the use of
clean water by performing the laundry process while cleaning water
being used for the laundry process rather than cleaning the water
used for the laundry process.
The washing/drying machine is configured such that the air is taken
out of the washing tub in which the garment is contained, and
dehumidified through heat exchange with the cooling water or heated
by a heater, and then circulated back into the washing tub.
Therefore, a greater amount of cooling water (dehumidification
water) is required for the dehumidification of the circulated air.
Although Patent Documents 3 to 5 make various proposals mainly for
the saving of the cooling water, the prior art fails to
sufficiently improve the drying efficiency.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present
invention to provide a washing/drying machine which is capable of
performing a laundry process while cleaning water to be used for
the laundry process, and is capable of efficiently performing a
drying process, requiring a shorter period of time for the
drying.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
washing/drying machine which is capable of properly circulating
washing water and efficiently cleaning the washing water without
clogging with foreign matter when the cleaning water is circulated
to be cleaned during the laundry process.
Means for Solving the Problems
According to an inventive aspect of claim 1, there is provided a
washing/drying machine including: a washing tub; a water
circulation passage disposed outside the washing tub and having
opposite ends connected to the washing tub; a circulation pump
provided in the water circulation passage for pumping water out of
the washing tub through one of the opposite ends of the water
circulation passage and feeding the pumped water back into the
washing tub through the other end of the water circulation passage;
a filter provided upstream of the pump with respect a water flow
direction in the water circulation passage for filtering the pumped
water to trap dust; a cleaning air generator which generates
cleaning air; a gas-liquid mixer provided downstream of the pump
with respect to the water flow direction in the water circulation
passage for mixing the cleaning air generated by the cleaning air
generator with water flowing through the water circulation passage;
a drying air duct disposed outside the washing tub and having
opposite ends connected to the washing tub for use in a drying
process; air blowing/heating means provided in the drying air duct
for sucking air out of the washing tub through one of the opposite
ends of the drying air duct, heating the sucked air and feeding the
heated air back into the washing tub through the other end of the
drying air duct in the drying process; a duct water supply passage
branched from an outlet port of the filter for supplying the
filtered water to a predetermined position in the drying air duct;
and a drying pump provided in the duct water supply passage for
feeding the water filtered by the filter into the drying air duct
to cause the filtered water to fall within the drying air duct.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 2, the gas-liquid mixer
includes a venturi tube having a restrictive portion through which
water flows, and an air supply passage connected to the restrictive
portion of the venturi tube for supplying the cleaning air to the
restrictive portion, and the restrictive portion of the venturi
tube has an inner diameter that is greater than a filtering hole
size of the filter in the washing/drying machine of claim 1.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 3, the filter includes a
case and a filtering member removably accommodated in the case in
the washing/drying machine of claim 1. Further, the case has an
inlet port through which the water flowing out of the washing tub
is caused to flow into the case, an outlet port through which the
filtered water is caused to flow out of the case as recycling
water, and a drain port through which the water in the case is
drained outside the machine. The filtering member has a recycling
water filtering wall portion formed with smaller filtering holes
and a drain water filtering wall portion formed with larger
filtering holes, and a part of the water flowing into the case
through the inlet port flows through the recycling water filtering
wall portion and flows out of the case through the outlet port.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 4, the outlet port of the
case is provided with a water passage which guides the water
flowing out through the outlet port toward the drying pump and a
branch water passage branched from the water passage which guides
the water toward the drying pump in the washing/drying machine of
claim 3.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 5, the outlet port is
provided at an upper portion of the case, and the drain port is
provided at a lower portion of the case in the washing/drying
machine of claim 3 or 4. Further, the recycling water filtering
wall portion of the filtering member is located at a higher
position than the drain water filtering wall portion in the
case.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 6, the case includes a
longitudinal portion, and the longitudinal portion is inclined with
respect to a horizontal direction in the washing/drying machine of
claim 5. Further, the outlet port is provided at an upper portion
of the longitudinal portion, and the drain port is provided at a
lower portion of the longitudinal portion.
According to an inventive aspect of claim 7, the filtering member
includes a rib projecting outward from a periphery of the recycling
water filtering wall portion to space the filtering member from an
interior wall of the case by not greater than a predetermined
distance so that water not flowing through the recycling water
filtering wall portion is prevented from flowing toward the outlet
port in the washing/drying machine of any of claims 3 to 6.
Effects of the Invention
According to the inventive aspect of claim 1, the provision of the
water circulation passage, the circulation pump, the filter, the
cleaning air generator and the gas-liquid mixer makes it possible
to clean the water by circulating the water from the washing tub
through the water circulation passage, filtering the circulated
water by the filter and mixing the cleaning air (e.g.,
ozone-containing air) with the water by the gas-liquid mixer when
the laundry process (a washing step and a rinsing step) is
performed with the garment being contained in the washing tub in
which the water is retained.
Further, the provision of the drying air duct, the air
blowing/heating means, the duct water supply passage and the drying
pump makes it possible to dehumidify the air circulated through the
drying air duct with the use of used water recycled by filtering
the water by the filter in the drying process. Therefore, the heat
exchange can be effectively carried out without increase in water
consumption by using a greater amount of the recycled water,
thereby reducing a drying period.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 2, the inner diameter of
the restrictive flow passage of the venturi tube is greater than
the filtering hole size of the filter. Before the water flows
through the venturi tube, the water is filtered by the filter, so
that foreign matter having a size greater than the filtering hole
size is trapped by the filter. Since foreign matter flowing through
the filter has a size smaller than the inner diameter of the
restrictive flow passage of the venturi tube, there is no
possibility that the restrictive flow passage of the venturi tube
is clogged with the foreign matter to result in stagnation of the
water, reduction in the flow rate of the circulated water, or
reduction in the amount of the cleaning air to be taken into the
venturi tube.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 3, the water pumped out
of the washing tub is caused to pass through the proper filtering
holes to be recycled, and the recycled water is circulated.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 4, the water flowing
through the recycling water filtering wall portion is caused to
flow selectively through the passage for the circulation to the
washing tub and through the passage for the supply to the drying
air duct.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 5, the water pumped out
of the washing tub to be circulated is efficiently filtered by the
filter. That is, the recycling water filtering wall portion which
traps smaller foreign matter is located at a higher position than
the drain water filtering wall portion which traps larger foreign
matter. Therefore, larger foreign matter contained in the
circulated water is liable to sink down in the case, and less
liable to adhere to the recycling water filtering wall portion.
Thus, the water to be recycled by the filtering can efficiently
pass through the recycling water filtering wall portion.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 6, larger foreign matter
contained in the circulated water is less liable to adhere to the
recycling water filtering wall portion, because the foreign matter
tends to sink down in the water. This improves the filtering
efficiency.
According to the inventive aspect of claim 7, even if larger
foreign matter is contained in water flowing to the outlet port
from the periphery of the filtering wall portion, the foreign
matter is reliably trapped. Therefore, the water containing the
larger foreign matter is reliably prevented from being circulated
downstream of the filter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a right side view illustrating, in vertical section, a
washing/drying machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal construction of
the washing/drying machine 1 with its housing 2 removed as seen
obliquely from the front side.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal construction of
the washing/drying machine 1 with its housing 2 removed as seen
obliquely from the rear side.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram mainly illustrating water passages
and air passages of the washing/drying machine 1.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the washing/drying machine 1 for
explaining a water circulation passage structure including a first
water circulation passage 55, a circulation pump 25, a second water
circulation passage 57, a U-turn portion 26, a gas-liquid mixer 27
(venturi tube 58) and a third water circulation pipe 59.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing specific structures of the
U-turn portion 26 and the gas-liquid mixer 27.
FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal structure
of the gas-liquid mixer 27.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a filter unit 15.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of a filter body
83.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the structure of a basket 84
with an operable lid 85 removed from the filter body 83.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the filter unit 15.
FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the filter unit 15
taken along a line A-A in FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view of the filter unit 15 taken
along a line B-B in FIG. 11.
FIG. 14 is a transverse sectional view of the filter unit 15 taken
along a line C-C in FIG. 11.
FIG. 15 is a partial front view of the washing/drying machine
1.
FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of a lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 as seen obliquely from the front side.
FIG. 17 is a partial perspective view of the lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 as seen obliquely from the front side.
FIG. 18 is a right side partial sectional view of the lower portion
of the washing/drying machine 1.
FIG. 19 is a partial perspective view of the lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 as seen obliquely from the front side.
FIG. 20 is a right side view illustrating the lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 partly in vertical section.
FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C are a plan view, a front view and a right
side view showing a specific structure of a movable member 103, and
FIGS. 21D and 21E are perspective views of the movable member 103
as seen obliquely from an upper side and a lower side,
respectively.
FIG. 22 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of an
electric control circuit of the washing/drying machine 1.
FIG. 23 is a timing chart for explaining operation control of the
washing/drying machine 1 to be performed in a drying process.
FIG. 24 is a control flowchart showing a control sequence to be
performed in conformity with the timing chart shown in FIG. 23.
FIG. 25 is a timing chart showing a modification of the drying
operation control to be performed in the drying process.
FIG. 26 is a timing chart showing another modification of the
drying operation control to be performed in the drying process.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
1: Washing/drying machine 3: Washing tub 4: Outer tub 5: Drum 11:
Tank 15: Filter unit 17: Water supply valve 19: Ozone generator 20:
Drying air duct 21: Blower 23: Drying pump 25: Circulation pump 26:
U-turn portion 27: Gas-liquid mixer 48: Second drain valve 57:
Second water circulation passage 58: Venturi tube 59: Third water
circulation passage 77: Restrictive flow passage 81: Check valve
83: Filter body 85: Operable lid 86: Smaller filtering holes 90:
Recycling water filtering wall portion 101: Cover 103: Movable
member 111: Gravity center adjusting member 112: Stopper projection
120: Control section 121: Drum outlet temperature sensor 122:
Dehumidification water temperature sensor 123: Board temperature
sensor 124, 125: Drying heaters 126: Blower motor 150: Case
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The construction of a washing/drying machine of a so-called oblique
drum type according to one embodiment of the present invention will
hereinafter be described specifically with reference to the
drawings.
Construction and Operation of Washing/Drying Machine
FIG. 1 is a right side view illustrating, in vertical section, the
washing/drying machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present
invention. The washing/drying machine 1 includes a washing tub 3
disposed obliquely in a housing 2. The washing tub 3 includes an
outer tub 4 in which water is retained in a laundry process, and a
drum 5 rotatably accommodated in the outer tub 4. The drum 5 is
rotated about a rotation shaft 7 by a DD motor 6 provided rearward
of the outer tub 4. The rotation shaft 7 extends obliquely upward
toward the front to provide a so-called oblique drum structure. An
opening 8 of the drum 5 and an opening 9 of the outer tub 4 are
covered and uncovered with a round door 10 attached to the housing
2. With the door 10 being opened, garment (laundry) is loaded into
and unloaded from the drum 5 through the openings 8, 9.
One feature of this washing/drying machine 1 is that a tank 11 is
provided below the washing tub 3 for storing used water (recycling
water). The tank 11 has an internal volume of about 8.5 liters. As
will be described later, water used for a rinsing operation is
stored in the tank 11, and is used as heat-exchange water and
cleaning water for removing lint and the like from an air
circulation duct in a drying process.
An electrical component 12 including a main control board is
provided in a lower front portion of the housing 2, and an
electrical component 13 for display and input operation is provided
in an upper front portion of the housing 2. The lower electrical
component 12 includes a board temperature sensor 123 to be
described later.
Further, a blower 21 to be driven in the drying process to be
described later, and a drying heater A124 and a drying heater B125
for heating air circulated into the washing tub 3 by the blower 21
are provided in an upper portion of the housing 2.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal construction of
the washing/drying machine 1 according to the embodiment of the
present invention with the housing 2 removed as seen obliquely from
the front side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal
construction of the washing/drying machine 1 with the housing 2
removed as seen obliquely from the rear side.
In FIGS. 2 and 3, the reference numeral 3 denotes the washing tub,
which includes the outer tub 4 and the drum 5. The washing tub 3 is
supported by resilient support members 14 each including a coil
spring and a damper. The tank 11 is disposed below the washing tub
3. A filter unit 15 is disposed on a front right side of the tank
11, and connected to the washing tub 3 and the tank 11 through
predetermined hoses and pipes.
A water plug 16, a water supply valve 17 for controlling supply of
water flowing from the water plug 16 into a water passage, a water
supply port unit 18, an ozone generator 19 which generates ozone as
a cleaning gas, the blower 21 for circulating air through a drying
air duct 20 in the drying process, and a drying filter unit 22 for
trapping foreign matter such as lint contained in the air
circulated through the drying air duct 20 by the blower 21 are
provided above the washing tub 3.
In the laundry process, tap water supplied from the water plug 16
is retained in the washing tub 3 by controlling the water supply
valve 17. At this time, water containing a detergent dissolved
therein can be retained in the washing tub 3 by causing water to
flow into the washing tub 3 through a detergent container 29 in the
water supply port unit 18. In the laundry process, the drum 5 is
rotated by the DD motor 6. Further, the water is pumped out of the
washing tub 3 through the filter unit 15 by a circulation pump 25,
and the pumped water is guided to a rear upper side of the outer
tub 4 through a water circulation passage (second water circulation
passage 57) and flows down from the upper side and then back into
the washing tub 3 from a lower portion of a rear face of the
washing tub 3 for circulation. A gas-liquid mixer 27 is provided in
the water circulation passage, and the ozone generated by the ozone
generator 19 is mixed with the water flowing down from the upper
side in the gas-liquid mixer 27. With the ozone mixed with the
water, the water is cleaned by the strong oxidation and
sterilization power of the ozone. That is, the water in the washing
tub 3 is circulated in the laundry process, and cleaned by mixing
the ozone with the circulated water for use in the laundry process.
As shown in FIG. 3, a projection 82 is provided in the vicinity of
the gas-liquid mixer 27 as projecting rearward from a rear face of
the outer tub 4 for protecting the gas-liquid mixer 27 attached to
the rear face of the outer tub 4 when the outer tub 4 is wobbled to
bump against the housing.
In the drying process, air is sucked out of the washing tub 3 from
the lower portion of the rear face of the washing tub 3, and guided
upward through the drying air duct 20. After foreign matter is
filtered away from the air by the drying filter unit 22, the air
flows into the washing tub 3 from an upper front side of the
washing tub 3 for circulation. High-temperature high-humidity air
is heat-exchanged with water to be thereby cooled and dehumidified
when being circulated through the drying air duct 20. For this
purpose, water is supplied into the drying air duct 20. That is,
the washing/drying machine is configured such that water is pumped
up from the tank 11 by a drying pump 23, and supplied to a
predetermined portion (first position) of the drying air duct 20
via a duct water supply passage 24 such as of a hose. Though not
shown, a water passage for supplying the tap water into the drying
air duct 20 from the water plug 16 via the water supply valve 17 as
required is also provided.
As shown in FIG. 3, a dehumidification water temperature sensor 122
for detecting the temperature of dehumidification water (resulting
from the dehumidification of the circulated air through the heat
exchange) falling through the drying air duct 20 is provided at a
lower end of the drying air duct 20. A drum outlet temperature
sensor 121 for detecting the temperature of the circulated air
after the heat exchange is provided above the drying air duct 20.
The functions of the dehumidification water temperature sensor 122
and the drum outlet temperature sensor 121 will be detailed
later.
While the construction and the operation of the washing/drying
machine 1 have been thus described, the overall construction,
particularly water passages and air passages, of the washing/drying
machine 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.
Arrangement of Water Passages and Air Passages of Washing/Drying
Machine
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram mainly illustrating the water
passages and the air passages of the washing/drying machine 1.
The water plug 16 is connected to an inlet of the water supply
valve 17. The water supply valve 17 has four outlets through which
the water is selectively caused to flow out. A first outlet port 28
of the water supply valve 17 is connected to the water supply port
unit 18, so that the water flows through the detergent container 29
provided in the water supply port unit 18. Thus, the water
containing the detergent dissolved therein is supplied into the
washing tub 3 through a water supply passage 30 to be thereby
retained in the washing tub 3. A second outlet port 31 of the water
supply valve 17 is also connected to the water supply port unit 18.
Water supplied from the second outlet port does not flow through
the detergent container 20, but flows into the washing tub 3
through a water supply passage 32. Further, the water flowing into
the water supply port unit 18 from the second outlet 31 is partly
supplied as priming water into a bathwater pump 34 through a
priming water passage 33. When the bathwater pump 34 is driven,
bathwater in a bathtub 35 is pumped up into the water supply port
unit 18 through a water passage 37, and flows into the washing tub
3 through the water supply passage 30 or the water supply passage
32.
A third outlet port 38 of the water supply valve 17 is connected to
a predetermined portion of the drying air duct 20 via a water
passage 39. A fourth outlet port 40 of the water supply valve 17 is
connected to a predetermined portion of the drying air duct 20 via
a water passage 41. The third outlet port 38 has a relatively small
diameter, while the fourth outlet port 40 has a relatively great
diameter. With the third outlet port 38 being open, therefore, a
relatively small amount of water is supplied into the drying air
duct 20 through the water passage 39. This water is brought into
contact with the circulated high-temperature high-humidity air in
the drying air duct 20 for the heat exchange. With the fourth
outlet port 40 being open, a relatively great amount of water is
supplied into the drying air duct 20 through the water passage 41.
This water is used for washing away lint and other foreign matter
contained in the air circulated upward in the drying air duct 20
and for washing away lint and other foreign matter adhering to an
inner wall of the drying air duct 20.
In the laundry process (a washing step and a rinsing step), water
is retained in the washing tub 3. A drain port 42 is provided in a
lowermost bottom portion of the washing tub 3 (more specifically,
in a lowermost bottom portion of the outer tub 4). An inlet port of
a first drain valve 44 is connected to the drain port 42 via a
water passage 43, and an outlet port of the first drain valve 44 is
connected to an inlet port 151 of the filter unit 15 via a water
passage 45. With the first drain valve 44 being closed, water can
be retained in the washing tub 3 (outer tub 4). A water level in
the washing tub 3 is detected by a water level sensor 47 based on a
change in pressure in an air hose 46 branched from the water
passage 43 and extending upward.
The filter unit 15 includes a case 150, and a filter body 83
accommodated in the case 150 for trapping foreign matter. The case
150 has a drain port 152, a first outlet port 153 and a second
outlet port 154 in addition to the aforementioned inlet port 151.
An inlet port of a second drain valve 48 is connected to the drain
port 152, and an outlet port of the second drain valve 48 is
connected to an external drain hose 50 and a drain trap 51 via a
water passage 49. With the first drain valve 44 and the second
drain valve 48 being open, the water in the washing tub 3 is
drained into the drain trap 51 through the drain port 42, the water
passage 43, the first drain valve 44, the water passage 45, the
filter unit 15, the drain port 152, the second drain valve 48, the
water passage 49 and the external drain hose 50. One end (lower
end) of an overflow water passage 52 is connected to the water
passage 49. The other end (upper end) of the overflow water passage
52 communicates with an overflow port 53 of the outer tub 4.
Therefore, if water is retained in the washing tub 3 in excess to a
water level not lower than a predetermined level, water overflows
from the overflow port 53, and drained into the drain trap 51
through the overflow water passage 52, the water passage 49 and the
external drain hose 50 irrespective of the opening/closing state of
the second drain valve 48.
An air pressure adjusting hose 54 is connected to a vertically
middle portion of the overflow water passage 52 and the inlet port
151 of the filter unit 15. With the provision of the hose 54, the
internal air pressure of the washing tub 3 is equal to an air
pressure on the side of the inlet port 151 of the filter unit 15,
thereby preventing the back flow of water in the filter unit 15 and
other trouble.
One end of a first water circulation passage 55 is connected to the
first outlet port 153 of the filter unit 15, and the other end of
the first water circulation passage 55 is connected to a suction
port of the circulation pump 25. One end of the second water
circulation passage 57 is connected to an outlet port of the
circulation pump 25. The second water circulation passage 57
extends upward to a position higher than an ordinary water level up
to which the water is retained in the washing tub 3, and the other
end of the second water circulation passage 57 is connected to a
U-turn portion 26 which is U-turned from an upward direction to a
downward direction. An upper end of a venturi tube 58 of the
gas-liquid mixer 27 is connected to the U-turn portion 26. One end
(upper end) of a third water circulation passage 59 is connected to
a lower end of the venturi tube 58, and the other end (lower end)
of the third water circulation passage 59 is connected to the lower
portion of the rear face of the washing tub 3 (outer tub 4).
With the aforementioned arrangement, a predetermined amount of
water is retained in the washing tub 3, and the circulation pump 25
is driven with the first drain valve 44 being open and with the
second drain valve 48 being closed in the washing step and/or the
rinsing step, whereby the water retained in the washing tub 3 is
circulated from the drain port 42 through the water passage 43, the
first drain valve 44, the water passage 45, the inlet port 151, the
case 150, the first outlet port 153, the first water circulation
passage 55, the circulation pump 25, the second water circulation
passage 57, the U-turn portion 26, the venturi tube 58 and the
third water circulation passage 59 into the washing tub 3.
The venturi tube 58 has an air inlet port 60, and the ozone
generator 19 is connected to the air inlet port 60 via an air tube
61. If the ozone generator 19 is actuated when water flows through
the venturi tube 58, the cleaning air containing the ozone
generated by the ozone generator 19 flows through the air tube 61
and then into the venturi tube 58 through the air inlet port 60. A
fundamental reason for the flow of the cleaning air into the
venturi tube 58 is that there is a pressure difference (negative
pressure) caused by the water flowing through the venturi tube 58.
When the ozone is mixed with the circulated water, the circulated
water is cleaned by the strong oxidation power and the
sterilization power of the ozone. Thus, the laundry process can be
performed in the washing tub 3 with the use of the cleaned
water.
One end (upper end) of a storage water passage 62 is connected to
the second outlet port 154 of the filter unit 15, and the other end
(lower end) of the storage water passage 62 is connected to an
inlet port of a water storage valve 63. An outlet port of the water
storage valve 63 is connected to the tank 11. When the water
storage valve 63 is opened with the first drain valve 44 being
open, with the second drain valve 48 being closed and with the
circulation pump 25 being deactuated after the completion of the
rinsing step, for example, the water used for the rinsing operation
and retained in the washing tub 3 flows into the tank 11 from the
drain port 42 through the water passage 43, the first drain valve
44, the water passage 45, the inlet port 151, the case 150, the
second outlet port 154, the storage water passage 62 and the water
storage valve 63 by gravity (natural falling). Thus, the water used
for the rinsing operation is stored as recycling water in the tank
11.
An overflow port 64 is provided at an upper portion of the tank 11.
One end of a water passage 65 is connected to the overflow port 64,
and the other end of the water passage 65 is connected to a middle
portion of the overflow water passage 52. If water is retained in
the tank 11 to a water level not lower than a predetermined level,
the water overflows to the drain trap 51 from the overflow port 64
through the water passage 65, the overflow water passage 52, the
water passage 49 and the external drain hose 50.
In the washing/drying machine 1, the used water is retained in the
tank 11, and reused as the recycling water in the drying
process.
The washing/drying machine 1 includes the drying air duct 20 for a
drying function. The drying air duct 20 is disposed outside the
washing tub 3 (outer tub 4). The drying air duct 20 is an air duct
through which air sucked out of the washing tub 3 through the lower
portion of the rear face of the outer tub 4 is circulated to flow
into the washing tub 3 from a front upper portion of the outer tub
4. The drying air duct 20 includes a connection pipe 66, a filter
blower unit 70 (including the blower 21 and the drying filter unit
22), and a connection pipe 67. As described with reference to FIG.
1, the drying heater A124 and the drying heater B125 (not shown)
are provided in the air duct extending from the filter blower unit
70 to the connection pipe 67 for heating the circulated air. For
example, semiconductor heaters may be used as the drying
heaters.
The air sucked out of the washing tub 3 is dehumidified in the
drying air duct 20. Further, the foreign matter such as lint
contained in the air circulated through the drying air duct 20 and
the foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the drying air
duct 20 are washed away. For this purpose, the recycling water
retained in the tank 11 is circulated to flow through the drying
air duct 20.
A suction port of the drying pump 23 is connected to the tank 11.
One end of the duct water supply passage 24 is connected to an
outlet port of the drying pump 23, and the other end of the duct
water supply passage 24 is connected to the first position of the
drying air duct 20. In the drying process, water flows through the
duct water supply passage 24 to be supplied into the drying air
duct 20 from the first position of the drying air duct 20 upon
actuation of the drying pump 23. As described above, the supplied
water is heat-exchanged with the air circulated upward from the
lower side in the drying air duct 20, and washes away the lint and
other foreign matter contained in the air and the foreign matter
adhering to the inner wall of the drying air duct 20. Water flowing
down together with the lint and other foreign matter in the drying
air duct 20 further flows into the filter unit 15 from the lower
portion of the outer tub 4 through the drain port 42, the water
passage 43, the first drain valve 44 and the water passage 45.
Then, the lint and other foreign matter are trapped and filtered
away in the filter unit 15, and water free from the foreign matter
flows back into the tank 11 from the second outlet port 154 through
the storage water passage 62 and the water storage valve 63.
The washing/drying machine may be configured such that the water
flowing down in the drying air duct 20 is drained, for example,
from a lower end (second position) of the drying air duct 20 and
flows back into the tank 11 rather than into the outer tub 4.
In the drying process, a great amount of water is required for the
heat exchange in the drying air duct 20 and for the removal of the
lint and other foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the
drying air duct 20. The washing/drying machine 1 is configured such
that the used water stored in the tank 11 is recycled to be used
for the heat exchange and the removal of the foreign matter. Thus,
drastic water saving can be achieved. Since the water is circulated
from the tank 11, the volume of the tank 11 is reduced. Even with
the provision of the tank 11, the outer size of the washing/drying
machine is not increased.
The ozone generator 19 is connected to the filter blower unit 70
via an air tube 71. In the drying process, the cleaning air
containing the ozone generated by the ozone generator 19 is sucked
into the filter blower unit 70 upon actuation of the ozone
generator 19, and mixed with the air to be circulated into the
washing tub 3. As a result, the garment to be dried can be
deodorized and sterilized.
Configuration of Water Circulation Passage
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the washing/drying machine 1 for
explaining a water circulation passage structure including the
first water circulation passage 55, the circulation pump 25, the
second water circulation passage 57, the U-turn portion 26, the
gas-liquid mixer 27 (venturi tube 58) and the third water
circulation pipe 59. In FIG. 5, only components required for the
explanation are shown.
Water resulting from the filtering by the filter unit 15 (see FIG.
4) is sucked into the circulation pump 25 through the first water
circulation passage 55 and ejected into the second water
circulation passage 57 by driving the circulation pump 25. The
second water circulation passage 57 extends upward from the lower
side to guide the water to the position higher than the ordinary
water level (indicated by a one-dot-and-dash line 72) up to which
the water is retained in the outer tub 4. The water flows into the
gas-liquid mixer 27 with its flow direction reversed from the
upward direction to the downward direction by the U-turn portion
26. Thus, the water flows down from the upper side in the
gas-liquid mixer 27. The gas-liquid mixer 27 is also disposed at a
position higher than the ordinary water level 72 up to which the
water is retained in the outer tub 4. Therefore, the flow direction
of the water pumped into the second water circulation passage 57 by
the circulation pump 25 is reversed at the position higher than the
water level 72. Thus, the water swiftly flows down through the
gas-liquid mixer 27, because the water falls down from the position
higher than the water level 72 through the gas-liquid mixer 27.
Then, the water flows through the third water circulation passage
59, and then into the outer tub 4 from the lower portion of the
rear face of the outer tub 4.
The water circulation passage structure thus includes the second
water circulation passage 57 for guiding the water to the position
higher than the water level 72 in the outer tub 4, and the U-turn
portion 26 for reversing the flow direction of the water guided
upward. Therefore, the gas-liquid mixer 27 can be located at the
position higher than the water level 72 in the outer tub 4. In
addition, the gas-liquid mixer 27 can be disposed as extending
vertically. Thus, a water pressure occurring due to the water level
72 does not hinder the flow of the water in the gas-liquid mixer
27, but the water swiftly flows down from the upper side due to the
pumping force of the circulation pump 25 as well as the gravity. As
a result, a negative pressure occurs in the flow passage, so that
the ozone-containing cleaning air can be efficiently mixed with the
water in the gas-liquid mixer 27.
Further, the water falling down through the gas-liquid mixer 27 is
guided downward through the third water circulation passage 59, and
circulated into the outer tub 4 from the lower portion of the rear
face of the outer tub 4. The circulated water, which contains
minute bubbles of the ozone-containing cleaning air, flows back
into the washing tub 3 from the lower portion of the outer tub 4.
Thus, the minute bubbles of the cleaning air contained in the water
move upward from the lower side in the washing tub 3, whereby the
garment is efficiently cleaned, sterilized and deodorized in the
washing tub 3.
The third water circulation passage 59 is not necessarily required
to extend to the lower portion of the outer tub 4, but may be
configured to cause the water to flow into the outer tub 4 from a
vertically middle portion of the rear face of the outer tub 4 for
the circulation.
A reference numeral 61 denotes the air tube. The ozone-containing
cleaning air is supplied into the gas-liquid mixer 27 through the
air tube 61.
Structures of U-Turn Portion and Gas-Liquid Mixer
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing specific structures of the
U-turn portion 26 and the gas-liquid mixer 27. In this embodiment,
the U-turn portion 26 and the gas-liquid mixer 27 are provided by
connecting resin pipes to each other. The gas-liquid mixer 27
includes the venturi tube 58, an air intake port 74 and a buffer
chamber 75.
FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal structure
of the gas-liquid mixer 27. As described above, the gas-liquid
mixer 27 includes the venturi tube 58. The venturi tube 58 extends
vertically, and includes three types of flow passages having
different flow passage diameters and connected to one another,
i.e., an upstream flow passage 78 provided on an upper side and
having a greater flow passage diameter, a restrictive flow passage
77 provided on a lower side of the upstream flow passage 78 and
having a smaller flow passage diameter, and a downstream flow
passage 79 provided on a lower side of the restrictive flow passage
77 and having a progressively increased flow passage diameter. When
the water flows through the upstream flow passage 78, the
restrictive flow passage 77 and the downstream flow passage 79, the
speed (flow rate) of the water flowing through the restrictive flow
passage 77 is increased. Further, an inner wall of the restrictive
flow passage 77 is formed with a small hole 80 for air intake. The
small hole 80 communicates with the buffer chamber 75 connected to
an outer surface of the venturi tube 58. Air is supplied into the
buffer chamber 75 from the air intake port 74. A check valve 81
such as of a rubber is disposed at an inlet of the buffer chamber
75. The check valve 81 permits the flow of the air into the buffer
chamber 75 from the air intake port 74, but prevents the flow of
gas and liquid from the inside of the buffer chamber 75 to the air
intake port 74.
The water falling down from the U-turn portion 26 swiftly flows
into the upstream flow passage 78, and its flow rate is increased
in the restrictive flow passage 77. Therefore, a negative pressure
occurs to permit the air intake from the buffer chamber 75 through
the air intake hole 80. The negative pressure causes the
ozone-containing cleaning air to flow into the restrictive flow
passage 77 from the buffer chamber 75 through the air intake hole
80, whereby the cleaning air is mixed in the form of minute air
bubbles with the flowing water.
There is a possibility that, when the water flow in the restrictive
flow passage 77 is stopped, the water would flow into the buffer
chamber 75 through the air intake hole 80 and further flow back to
the ozone generator 19 (see FIG. 4) from the air intake port 74. In
this embodiment, however, the check valve 81 is provided in the
buffer chamber 75. As a result, the ozone generator 19 is free from
any inconvenience, which may otherwise occur due to water flowing
back through the air tube 61. Further, there is a possibility that,
in the drying process, steam would flow into the third water
circulation passage 59 from the washing tub 3, then flow through
the venturi tube 58 and then into the buffer chamber 75 from the
air intake hole 80, and further flow back into the ozone generator
19 from the air intake port 74. However, the back flow of the steam
in the drying process is also prevented by the check valve 81.
In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the restrictive flow
passage 77 is O=8 mm. As will be described later, the inner
diameter O is greater than a filter mesh diameter of the filter
unit 15. As a result, there is no fear that the restrictive flow
passage 77 would be clogged with foreign matter such as lint
contained in the flowing water.
Structure of Filter Unit
Next, the structure of the filter unit 15 will be described.
As described with reference to FIG. 2, the filter unit 15 is
provided in the front lower right portion of the washing/drying
machine 1. The filter unit 15 includes the case 150, the inlet port
151, the drain port 152, the first outlet port 153 and the second
outlet port 154 as described with reference to FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the filter unit 15 as
seen obliquely from the front side of the washing/drying machine
1.
Referring to FIG. 8, the filter unit 15 includes the case 150, an
inlet pipe 155, a drain pipe 156, outlet pipes 157, 158, a front
fixture plate 159 and fixture legs 160. These components are
composed of a resin (e.g., polypropylene). The front fixture plate
159 and the fixture legs 160 are formed integrally with the case
150, and the drain pipe 156, the inlet pipe 155 and the outlet
pipes 157, 158 which are separately formed are liquid-tightly
connected to the case 150.
With the front fixture plate 159 and the fixture legs 160 attached
to the housing 2 of the washing/drying machine 1, the case 150 has
an elongated shape extending obliquely downward rearward from the
front side. The case 150 has a hole (not shown) provided in an
upper surface 150a thereof, and the inlet pipe 155 is attached to
the upper surface 150a for communication with the hole. As
described with reference to FIG. 4, the water passage 45 is
connected to an upper open end of the inlet pipe 155 serving as the
inlet port 151. The hose 54 described with reference to FIG. 4 is
connected to a tubular projection 161 projecting from a middle
portion of the inlet pipe 155.
The case 150 has right and left side surfaces and a bottom surface
which collectively define a seamless case lateral/bottom surface
150b arcuately bulged downward.
The drain pipe 156 projects laterally from the case lateral/bottom
surface 150b in a direction crossing a longitudinal axis of the
case 150, more specifically perpendicularly to the longitudinal
axis of the case 150, and its distal end serves as the drain port
152. The drain pipe 156 projects from an innermost longitudinal end
portion of the case 150 (from a lower end portion of the obliquely
extending case 150).
The outlet pipe 157 has a longitudinally middle portion which is
generally perpendicularly bent, and is fixed to a portion of the
case 150 intermediate between a fixing position of the inlet pipe
155 and a fixing position of the drain pipe 156 as seen
longitudinally of the case 150. The outlet pipe 157 is fixed to the
case 150 as projecting laterally from the lateral/bottom surface
150b of the case 150, and a distal end of the portion bent at about
90 degrees is defined as the second outlet port 154. The outlet
pipe 158 is connected to the outlet pipe 157 as being branched from
the outlet pipe 157, and a distal end of the pipe 158 is defined as
the first outlet port 153. As described with reference to FIG. 4,
the suction port of the second drain valve 48, the first water
circulation passage 55 and the storage water passage 62 are
connected to the drain port 152, the first outlet port 153 and the
second outlet port 154, respectively.
The front fixture plate 159 has a filter insertion port 162. The
filter insertion port 162 communicates with the inside space of the
case 150. The filter body 83 (see FIG. 9) is inserted into the case
150 through the filter insertion port 162, and an operable lid 85
is turned to a state as shown in FIG. 8. In this state, the filter
unit 15 can function normally.
Ribs 113 are provided on the front fixture plate 159 on lower
opposite sides of the filter insertion port 162 as projecting
forward. The ribs 113 respectively have engagement holes 114 in
which a movable member (see FIG. 21) to be described later is
rotatably fitted.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of the filter
body 83. The filter body 83 includes a basket 84 serving as a
filtering member, and the operable lid 85. The basket 84 is
composed of a resin, and has an open top, and a multiplicity of
filtering holes and filtering slits formed in a predetermined
arrangement in side walls and a bottom wall thereof.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the structure of the basket
84 with the operable lid 85 removed from the filter body 83.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the filtering holes of the basket 84
include smaller filtering holes 86 each having a size (maximum
diameter) not greater than a predetermined level, larger filtering
holes 87 each having a greater size, and slits 89 defined between
comb-like rods 88. The smaller filtering holes 86 are provided in
front portions of the left side wall and the bottom wall of the
basket 84. The wall portions formed with the smaller filtering
holes 86 are collectively defined as a recycling water filtering
wall portion 90. On the other hand, a rear portion of the left side
wall, a rear wall, a portion of the bottom wall and a portion of
the right side wall of the basket 84 formed with the larger
filtering holes 87, and a wall portion of the basket 84 having the
slits 89 defined between the rods 88 are collectively defined as a
drain water filtering wall portion 91. Partitioning ribs 92, 93 are
provided along a boundary between the recycling water filtering
wall portion 90 and the drain water filtering wall portion 91 as
projecting from an outer surface of the basket 84.
A front face of the basket 84 is closed with a sealing wall 94, and
an annular flange 95 projects from the periphery of the sealing
wall 94 (see FIG. 10).
As shown in FIG. 9, the operable lid 85 is rotatably fitted on the
flange 95 shown in FIG. 10. The operable lid 85 and the basket 84
are rotatable relative to each other. A seal ring 96 such as of a
rubber is provided on a rear peripheral surface of the operable lid
85. The basket 84 of the filter body 83 is inserted into the case
150 from the filter insertion port 162 shown in FIG. 8. After the
insertion, the operable lid 85 is turned, whereby a gap between the
filter insertion port 162 and the operable lid 85 is liquid-tightly
sealed by the seal ring 96. Thus, the filter body 83 is completely
fixed to the case 150. The inner wall of the case 150 has a
specific configuration such that the basket 84 can be accommodated
in a predetermined orientation in the case 150.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the filter unit 15. FIG. 12 is a
longitudinal sectional, view of the filter unit 15 taken along a
line A-A in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view of the
filter unit 15 taken along a line B-B in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a
transverse sectional view of the filter unit 15 taken along a line
C-C in FIG. 11.
As shown in FIG. 12, the rib 93 is provided on the basket 84 as
projecting downward from the bottom wall and extending
anteroposteriorly (longitudinally of the case 150). The rib 93 is
configured so that the basket 84 set in the case 150 is spaced a
distance d (mm) (which is not greater than the size (maximum
diameter) of the smaller filtering holes) from an inner bottom
surface 150c of the case 150. A part 931 of the rib 93 is brought
into contact with the inner bottom surface 150c of the case 150,
thereby functioning to position the basket 84 in the case 150.
Where larger-size foreign matter is present in water flowing
outside the basket 84 through the larger filtering holes 87 and the
slits 89 (see FIG. 10) formed in the drain water filtering wall
portion 91 present on the front side in FIG. 12 and further flowing
into an inlet port 157a of the outlet pipe 157 through a space
defined between a lower surface of the basket 84 and the inner
bottom surface 150c of the case 150, the rib 93 prevents the
foreign matter from flowing into the inlet port 157a of the outlet
pipe 157. Referring next to FIG. 13, the rib 92 projecting from the
outer surface of the basket 84 spaces the basket 84 a predetermined
distance d (mm) (which is not greater than the size (maximum
diameter) of the smaller filtering holes) from the inner side
surface and the inner bottom surface 150c of the case with the
filter body 83 being set in the case 150. Therefore, where
larger-size foreign matter is present in water flowing outside the
basket 84 through the larger filtering holes 87 formed, for
example, in the rear portion of the side wall of the basket 84 and
further flowing forward into the outlet pipe 157 through a space
defined between the basket 84 and the inner side surface or the
inner bottom surface 150c of the case 150, the rib 92 prevents the
foreign matter from flowing into the outlet pipe 157.
Thus, the ribs 92, 93 are provided as surrounding the recycling
water filtering wall portion 90 formed with the smaller filtering
holes 86. The ribs 92, 93 are opposed to the inner surfaces of the
case 150 so as not to form a gap larger than the size of the
smaller filtering holes 86 around the recycling water filtering
wall portion 90. Thus, the water flowing into the basket 84 is
filtered through the recycling water filtering wall portion 90
formed with the smaller filtering holes 86, and the water flowing
through the recycling water filtering wall portion 90 and the water
flowing through the gap defined between the ribs 92, 93 and the
inner surfaces of the case 150 are permitted to flow into the
outlet pipe 157. Thus, the water flowing into the outlet pipe 157
does not contain foreign matter greater in size than the smaller
filtering holes 86.
The size (maximum diameter) of the smaller filtering holes 86 is
set smaller than the inner diameter O of the restrictive flow
passage 77 of the venturi tube 58 of the gas-liquid mixer 27, so
that foreign matter having a size greater than the inner diameter O
of the restrictive flow passage 77 is not present in the water
flowing through the venturi tube 58. This prevents slow-down or
stop of the water flow in the venturi tube 58, which may otherwise
occur when the restrictive flow passage 77 having a reduced flow
diameter is clogged with the foreign matter.
As shown in FIG. 14, water flows out of the drain pipe 156 after
being filtered through the larger filtering holes 87 and the slits
89 of the basket 84, so that greater size foreign matter does not
flow out through the drain pipe 156. This eliminates the
possibility of clogging of the drain port.
As apparent from FIGS. 8 to 14, the case 150 of the filter unit 15
has an elongated shape extending obliquely downward rearward from
the front, and the basket 84 of the filter body 83 is accommodated
in the case 150. The outlet pipe 157 is located forward of the
drain pipe 156, i.e., is attached to the case 150 at a higher
position than the drain pipe 156. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the
recycling water filtering wall portion 90 is located on a forward
(upper) side, while the drain water filtering wall portion 91 is
located on a rearward (lower) side. Therefore, if foreign matter is
contained in the water flowing into the basket 84, larger foreign
matter falls on the rearward (lower) side in the water, and water
containing a smaller amount of foreign matter is filtered through
the recycling water filtering wall portion 90. That is, this
arrangement improves the efficiency of filtering the washing water
and the rinsing water in the filter unit 15.
Arrangement for Indicating Improper Operation of Operable Lid
Next, an arrangement for letting a user know that the operable lid
85 of the filter unit 15 is improperly operated and the filter body
83 is incorrectly mounted in the case 150 will be described.
FIG. 15 is a partial front view of the washing/drying machine 1.
The washing/drying machine 1 has a window 100 provided in a front
lower right portion of the housing 2 thereof. In this embodiment,
the window 100 has a rectangular shape having rounded corners, but
may have any shape. A cover 101 is attached to the window 100, so
that the window 100 is covered and uncovered with the cover
101.
FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of a lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 as seen obliquely from the front side. As
shown in FIG. 16, the cover 101 is pivotal forward about an axis
extending between opposite lower ends, so that the cover 101 can be
shifted from a window covering state as shown in FIG. 15 to a
window uncovering state as shown in FIG. 16. For opening the cover
101, the user inserts his finger into a finger-hooking recess 102
formed in an upper edge portion of the cover 101 and pulls forward
the cover 101.
With the cover 101 being open, the operable lid 85 of the filter
unit 15 disposed behind the cover 101 is exposed. As described with
reference to FIG. 8, the front fixture plate 159 of the case 150 is
present around the operable lid 85 to close the inside of the
window 100. Therefore, the entire structure of the filter unit 15
present behind the front fixture plate 159 cannot be seen through
the window 100.
In this embodiment, a movable member 103 is provided between the
cover 101 and the operable lid 85. When the cover 101 is opened as
shown in FIG. 16, the movable member 103 is pivoted forward by its
own weight. The movable member 103 pivoted forward does not hinder
the operation of the operable lid 85. In this state, the operable
lid 85 fitted in the filter insertion port 162 is turned left to be
loosened, and then the filter body 83 is pulled forward. Thus, a
maintenance operation can be performed on the filter body 83, for
example, for removing foreign matter from the filter body 83,
particularly, from the basket 84. After the maintenance operation,
the basket 84 is inserted through the filter insertion port 162,
and then the operable lid 85 is turned right. Thus, the filter body
83 is fitted in the case 150.
With the filter body 83 fitted in the case 150 and with the
operable lid 85 properly turned, an operation rib 104 of the
operable lid 85 is oriented horizontally. With the operation rib
104 oriented horizontally, as shown in FIG. 17, the movable member
103 can be pivoted upward. That is, the operation rib 104 of the
operable lid 85 extends horizontally and, therefore, does not
prevent the upward pivoting of the movable member 103. Thus, the
movable member 103 can be pivoted upward.
In general, as shown in FIG. 17, there is no need to intentionally
pivot only the movable member 103 upward. By closing the cover 101
from the state shown in FIG. 16, the movable member 103 is pushed
by an inner surface of the cover 101 to be pivoted upward. As shown
in a right side partial sectional view of the lower portion of the
washing/drying machine 1 of FIG. 18, the movable member 103 pivoted
upward does not hinder the closing of the cover 101, but is flush
with a front face of the housing 2 in a closed state.
However, if the sealing between the filter insertion port 162 and
the operable lid 85 is incomplete with the operable lid 85
improperly operated and incorrectly turned as shown in FIG. 19 and,
therefore, water is likely to leak forward from the filter
insertion port 162, the movable member 103 cannot be pivoted to a
predetermined upper position.
That is, if the operable lid 85 is not properly operated, the
operation rib 104 is not oriented horizontally, but oriented
vertically or obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction as
shown in FIG. 19. In such a state, the operation rib 104 interferes
with the movable member 103, making it impossible to pivot the
movable member 103 to the predetermined upper position. As a
result, the movable member 103 prevents the cover 101 from being
completely closed as shown in a right side partial sectional view
of the lower portion of the washing/drying machine 1 of FIG. 20.
That is, the movable member 103 hits against the inner surface of
the cover 101, making it impossible to close the cover 101.
If the user cannot close the cover 101, the user checks the state
of the operable lid 85, and becomes aware that the operable lid 85
has been improperly operated.
If the operable lid 85 is not properly operated, the closing of the
cover 101 is prevented. Thus, the user becomes aware that the user
has improperly operated the operable lid 85 of the filter unit 15.
This prevents the leak of the water from the filter unit 15.
Structure of Movable Member
FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C are a plan view, a front view and a right
side view showing a specific structure of the movable member 103,
and FIGS. 21D and 21E are perspective views of the movable member
103 as seen obliquely from an upper side and a lower side,
respectively.
Referring to FIGS. 21A to 21E, the movable member 103 includes a
right arm plate 105 and a left arm plate 106 extending vertically
and anteroposteriorly, and an interference plate 107 provided
between the right arm plate 105 and the left arm plate 106 as
extending transversely to connect the right arm plate 105 and the
left arm plate 106 to each other. An engagement pivot boss 108
projects from a rear lower portion of the right arm plate 105
toward the left arm plate 106 (inward). Further, an engagement
pivot boss 109 projects from a rear lower portion of the left arm
plate 106 toward the right arm plate 105 (inward). The engagement
pivot bosses 108, 109 align with each other. With the engagement
pivot bosses 108, 109 fitted in engagement holes 114 of the front
fixture plate 159 of the case 150 of the filter unit 15 (see FIG.
8), the movable member 103 is attached to the case 150 in a
vertically pivotal manner.
The right arm plate 105 has a greater length than the left arm
plate 106 as measured anteroposteriorly and, therefore, a distal
end portion of the right arm plate 105 projects farther forward
than a distal end portion of the left arm plate 106. Therefore, the
interference plate 107 has a distal edge extending obliquely from
the right to the left as seen in plan and, hence, has a width which
is greater on the right side than on the left side. The
interference plate 107 has a rear edge which is curved arcuately
forward. Since the right arm plate 105 is greater in length than
the left arm plate 106, only the distal end portion of the right
arm plate 105 of the movable member 103 is brought into contact
with the inner surface of the cover 101 (see FIG. 16). With the
movable member 103 in contact with the inner surface of the cover
101 only at the distal end portion of the right arm plate 105, the
movable member 103 is more smoothly pivoted correspondingly to the
closing movement of the cover 101.
If the operable lid 85 is improperly operated, the interference
plate 107 interferes with (or hits against) the operation rib 104
of the operable lid 85 to prevent the movable member 103 from being
pivoted further upward. Reinforcement bars 110 are respectively
provided at junctions between laterally opposite ends of the
interference plate 107 and the right and left arm plates 105, 106
as extending perpendicularly to surfaces of the interference plate
107, the right arm plate 105 and the left arm plate 106 so as to
prevent easy flexure and deformation of the interference plate 107
even if the interference plate 107 hits against the operation rib
104.
With the movable member 103 pivoted upward, the interference plate
107 is located in generally parallel adjacent relation to the
operation rib 104 of the operable lid 85 to prevent the movement of
the operation rib 104. Thus, the interference plate 107 functions
to prevent the operable lid 85 from being turned to be loosened due
to vibrations.
The movable member 103 is pivotal about the engagement support
bosses 108, 109. Gravity center adjusting members 111 for adjusting
the gravity center of the movable member 103 respectively project
from outer surfaces of the right arm plate 105 and the left arm
plate 106, so that the movable member 103 can be pivoted forward
away from the operable lid 85 by its own weight, as described
above, when the cover 101 is opened.
Further, a stopper projection 112 is provided adjacent the
engagement pivot boss 108 so as to stop the movable member 103 at a
predetermined pivoting angular position when the movable member 103
is pivoted forward about the engagement pivot bosses 108, 109.
Referring to FIG. 16, when the movable member 103 is pivoted
forward to the predetermined angular position, the stopper
projection 112 abuts against the front fixture plate 159, for
example, functioning to restrict the pivoting angular position of
the movable member 103. This makes it possible to stop the movable
member 103 at the predetermined angular position. Thus, the movable
member 103 is prevented from being pivoted to hit against the cover
101. If the movable member 103 were adapted to stop in abutment
against the cover 101, the movable member 103 would serve like a
prop, making it difficult to close the cover 101.
Configuration of Control Circuit
FIG. 22 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of an
electric control circuit of the washing/drying machine 1. In the
block diagram of FIG. 22, only components required for performing
the drying process in the washing/drying machine 1 are shown.
A control section 120 is a control center of the washing/drying
machine 1, and includes a microcomputer and the like. The control
section 120 is provided, for example, in the electrical component
12 (see FIG. 1).
Temperatures detected by the drum outlet temperature sensor 121,
the dehumidification water temperature sensor 122 and the board
temperature sensor 123 are inputted to the control section 120.
As described with reference to FIG. 3, the drum outlet temperature
sensor 121 is disposed upstream of the blower 21 with respect to
the air flow direction in the drying air duct 20. The drum outlet
temperature sensor 121 detects the temperature of the air flowing
out of the washing tub 3 and then through the drying air duct 20
and heat-exchanged with water in the drying air duct 20.
As described with reference to FIG. 3, the dehumidification water
temperature sensor 122 is disposed at the lower end of the drying
air duct 20 connected to the lower portion of the rear face of the
outer tub 4. The dehumidification water temperature sensor 122
detects the temperature of the water heat-exchanged with the air
flowing out of the washing tub in the drying air duct 20.
As described with reference to FIG. 1, the board temperature sensor
123 is disposed on a circuit board incorporated in the electrical
component 12 disposed in the front lower portion of the housing 2.
The board temperature sensor 123 detects an ambient temperature
around the washing/drying machine 1 (a temperature proportional to
a room temperature and generally equal to the room temperature plus
10.degree. C.).
The drying heater A 124, the drying heater B 125, a blower motor
126, the drying pump 23, the water supply valve 17, the second
drain valve 48 and the DD motor 6 are connected to the control
section 120. The control section 120 controls the driving of these
components connected thereto.
As described with reference to FIG. 1, the drying heater A 124 and
the drying heater B 125 are disposed downstream of the blower 21 in
the drying air duct 20 for heating the circulated air. The drying
heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125 are, for example,
semiconductor heaters, which have the same heat generation capacity
in this embodiment. For control, whether either or both of the
drying heaters 124, 125 are energized is determined according to
the progress of the drying process as will be described later. The
blower motor 126 is driven for circulating the air through the
drying air duct 20 in the drying process. The blower 21 is rotated
by the blower motor 126.
The drying pump 23 is driven for circulating the water from the
tank 11 through the drying air duct 20 in the drying process. As
previously described, the water pumped up from the tank 11 by the
drying pump 23 is supplied to the drying air duct 20 for the
heat-exchange, the cooling and the cleaning. The supplied water
flows down through the drying air duct 20 to be circulated from the
drain port 42 of the outer tub 4 back into the tank 11 through the
water passage 43, the first drain valve 44, the water passage 45,
the filter unit 15, the storage water passage 62 and the water
storage valve 63. Therefore, the volume of the tank 11 (or the
amount of the water to be stored in the tank 11) is not necessarily
required to be sufficient to store all the water to be supplied to
the drying air duct 20 in the drying process, but the tank 11 may
have a smaller volume. By circulating the water from the tank 11,
the water saving can be achieved for the water supply in the drying
process.
The water supply valve 17 is controlled to supply colder tap water
as the heat exchange water instead of the recycling water
circulated from the tank 11 at the final stage of the drying
process.
The second drain valve 48 is controlled to drain the water from the
tank 11 at the end of the drying process. The DD motor 6 is
controlled to rotate the drum 5 of the washing tub 3.
Control Operation in Drying Process
FIG. 23 is a timing chart for explaining operation control of the
washing/drying machine 1 to be performed in the drying process.
With reference to the timing chart of FIG. 23, a control operation
to be performed in the drying process in the washing/drying machine
1 will be described.
In the washing/drying machine 1, the drying heater A 124 is
energized upon the start of the drying process, and the drying
heater B 125 is energized, for example, with a delay of about 30
seconds. In order to suppress rush current, the two drying heaters
124, 125 are not simultaneously energized.
Further, the drying pump 23 is driven at a higher driving level. In
order to check if water is stored in the tank 11, the drying pump
23 is driven at the higher driving level for a predetermined period
upon the start of the drying process.
At the start of the drying process, the blower motor 126 is driven
at a lower driving level. With the second drain valve 48 being
closed, the water circulated from the tank 11 by the drying pump 23
is not drained to the external drain hose 50 (see FIG. 4) through
the water passage 49.
At the start of the drying process, the drying heater A 124, the
drying heater B 125, the drying pump 23 and the blower motor 126
are driven in the aforementioned manner, whereby the air from the
washing tub 3 slowly flows through the drying air duct 20, and is
heated by the drying heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125 and
circulated into the washing tub 3. Since the circulated air is
heated by energizing the two drying heaters 124, 125, a drum outlet
temperature T.sub.DO detected by the drum outlet temperature sensor
121 is relatively steeply increased.
On the other hand, a dehumidification water temperature T.sub.w
detected by the dehumidification water temperature sensor 122 is
hardly increased, because the drying pump 23 is driven at the
higher driving level to cause a greater amount of water to fall
through the drying air duct 20 and the air flowing out of the
washing tub 3 is not sufficiently heated.
In a drying startup period, this control state is continued, for
example, for about 25 minutes. After a lapse of about 25 minutes
from the start of the drying process, the driving of the blower
motor 126 is switched from the lower driving level to an
intermediate driving level and further to a higher driving level to
increase the circulation rate of the air circulated through the
drying air duct 20.
In an initial drying period from 25 minutes to 70 minutes after the
start of the drying process, the drying heater A 124 and the drying
heater B 125 are continuously energized, and the blower motor 126
is driven at the higher driving level. Further, the driving of the
drying pump 23 is stopped. After the stop of the driving of the
drying pump 23, the air circulated through the drying air duct 20
is not dehumidified, but heated by the drying heater A 124 and the
drying heater B 125, so that the temperature of the circulated air,
i.e., the drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO detected by the drum
outlet temperature sensor 121, is increased.
On the other hand, the dehumidification water temperature sensor
122 does not detect the temperature of the dehumidification water,
but mainly detects the moisture temperature of high-temperature
high-humidity air flowing out of the washing tub 3, because the
drying pump 23 is stopped. Since the air is heated, the detected
dehumidification water temperature T.sub.W is steeply
increased.
In an intermediate drying period from 70 minutes to 130 minutes
after the start of the drying process, the following control
operation is performed.
The drying heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125 are
continuously energized, and the driving of the blower motor 126 is
switched to the intermediate level to reduce the flow rate of the
circulated air. Further, the drying pump 23 is driven at a lower
driving level to circulate the water from the tank 11 for the heat
exchange in the drying air duct 20. The drying pump 23 is driven to
supply the dehumidification water from the tank 11 into the drying
air duct 20, whereby the dehumidification water temperature T.sub.W
detected by the dehumidification water temperature sensor 122 is
steeply reduced and then gradually increased. This is because the
heat of the circulated air is removed by the water due to the heat
exchange between the water and the air in the drying air duct 20 to
increase the temperature of the water.
The drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO detected by the drum outlet
temperature sensor 121 is once reduced by the removal of the heat
due to the heat exchange of the circulated air in a first half of
the intermediate drying period, but the temperature of the
circulated air is gradually increased with the gradual increase of
the dehumidification water temperature.
The intermediate drying period ends, for example, after a lapse of
130 minutes from the start of the drying process, and is followed
by a final drying period. An operation to be performed in the final
drying period differs from the operation to be performed in the
intermediate drying period in that the driving of the drying pump
23 is switched to the higher driving level and the driving of the
blower motor 126 is switched to the lower driving level. The amount
of the dehumidification water flowing through the drying air duct
20 is increased by driving the drying pump 23 at the higher driving
level. In the final drying period, therefore, the dehumidification
water temperature T.sub.W detected by the dehumidification water
temperature sensor 122 is once reduced. However, the
dehumidification water temperature is gradually increased by the
continuous heat exchange between the dehumidification water and the
circulated air. On the other hand, the flow rate of the air
circulated through the drying air duct 20 is reduced because the
driving of the blower motor 126 is switched to the lower driving
level. Even if the temperature of the circulated air is reduced by
the heat exchange, the drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO detected by
the drum outlet temperature sensor 121 is generally leveled off and
then gradually increased because the circulated air is sufficiently
heated by the drying heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125.
In this embodiment, the drying heater A 124, the drying heater B
125 and the blower motor 126 are de-energized in synchronism for a
predetermined period (e.g., 2 to 3 minutes) in the intermediate
drying period and in the final drying period. A factor affecting
the drying capability in the drying process is the temperature of
the air circulated through the drying air duct 20, and it is
desirable to keep the drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO at a
predetermined higher temperature level. When the drying heater A
124 and the drying heater B 125 are de-energized in the drying
process, the temperature of the circulated air (drum outlet
temperature T.sub.DO) is generally reduced. However, the
circulation of the air is stopped by de-energizing the blower motor
126 in synchronism with the de-energization of the drying heater A
124 and the drying heater B 125. Thus, the temperature of the
circulated air is not reduced, but kept at a generally constant
level. In this embodiment, a control operation is performed so as
to once de-energize the drying heater A 124, the drying heater B
125 and the blower motor 126 in synchronism for several minutes in
the intermediate drying period and in the final drying period.
Thus, the energy saving operation can be achieved without impairing
the drying capability.
Next, how to determine the end of a drying operation in the drying
process will be described. The drying period varies depending upon
the amount and the type of the garment to be dried. Therefore, the
end of the drying operation is not controlled based on the elapsed
time, but automatically determined through a temperature-based
control operation as will be described below.
In FIG. 23, a temperature curve T.sub.DO T.sub.W indicated by a
solid line on an upper side represents a sum of the drum outlet
temperature T.sub.DO and the dehumidification water temperature
T.sub.w. In this embodiment, a value of T.sub.DO T.sub.W is stored
in a memory in the control section 120 after a lapse of 10 minutes
from the start of the drying process. This temperature value is
herein defined, for example, as T.sub.1. Then, a value of T.sub.DO
T.sub.W is monitored after a lapse of 120 or more minutes from the
start of the drying process, and is defined as T.sub.2.
The end of the drying operation is determined when a difference
T.sub.x=T.sub.2-T.sub.1 between the temperatures T.sub.2 and
T.sub.1 reaches a predetermined value.
A room temperature T.sub.B detected as the board temperature by the
board temperature sensor 123 is generally constant during the
drying process, but is gently increased by a temperature increase
occurring due to the operation of the washing/drying machine 1.
In the washing/drying machine 1 according to this embodiment, the
temperature of the circulated air heated by the drying heater A 124
and the drying heater B 125 (or the heat-exchanged circulated air)
is detected as the drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO by the drum
outlet temperature sensor 121. Further, the temperature of the
circulated air is indirectly detected as the dehumidification water
temperature T.sub.W by the dehumidification water temperature
sensor 122. As the drying process progresses, these two
temperatures T.sub.DO, T.sub.W are increased. Therefore, the sum
T.sub.2 of the drum outlet temperature T.sub.DO and the
dehumidification water temperature T.sub.W is drastically increased
with the drying operation time. Therefore, the end of the drying
operation can be relatively accurately determined by detecting an
increase in the SUM T.sub.2. For reference, the determination of
the end of the drying operation is based only on the temperature
detected by the drum outlet temperature sensor 121 in the prior
art.
Upon the determination of the end of the drying operation, the
drying heater B 125 is once turned off as shown in FIG. 23.
However, the turn-off of the drying heater B 125 is not necessarily
required.
After a lapse of a predetermined period (e.g., 5 minutes) from the
determination of the end of the drying operation based on the
temperature difference T.sub.x=T.sub.2-T.sub.1, the drying heater A
124 is first de-energized, and the drying heater B 125 is
de-energized with a delay of several minutes. Simultaneously with
the de-energization of the drying heater B 125, the drying pump 23
is stopped, and the second drain valve 48 is switched from a closed
state to an open state. As a result, the water supplied from the
tank 11 for the heat exchange is drained outside the machine
through the water passage 49 and the external drain hose 50. The
water can be entirely drained from the tank 11 by continuously
driving the drying pump 23 for a short period of time after the
opening of the second drain valve 48.
After the de-energization of the drying heater A 124 and the drying
heater B 125, the driving of the blower motor 126 is switched to
the higher driving level to increase the flow rate of the air
circulated through the drying air duct 20 for a cool-down
operation. The cool-down operation is performed for a predetermined
period (e.g., about 10 minutes). The cool-down operation reduces
the temperature of the garment dried in the washing tub 3. During
the cool-down operation, the water supply valve 17 is preferably
controlled to supply tap water into the drying air duct 20 through
the water passage 39. Thus, the circulated air is heat-exchanged
with the tap water during the cool-down operation to quickly reduce
the temperature.
FIG. 24 is a control flowchart showing a control sequence to be
performed in conformity with the timing chart shown in FIG. 23. The
control sequence is performed by the control section 120 shown in
FIG. 22.
With reference to FIG. 24, a control operation to be performed by
the control section 120 in the drying process will be
described.
Upon the start of the operation in the drying process, the control
section 120 energizes the DD motor 6, the drying pump 23, the
blower motor 126, the drying heater A 124 and the drying heater B
125 in this order (Step S1). Then, it is judged if the drying
process is in the drying startup period, for example, before a
lapse of 25 minutes after the start of the operation (Step S2). In
the drying startup period, the two drying heaters 124, 125 are both
energized to be driven at the higher driving level. The drying pump
23 is also driven at the higher driving level to circulate the
cooling water at a higher flow rate. On the other hand, the blower
motor 126 is driven at the lower driving level to circulate the air
at a lower flow rate (Step S3).
The drying startup period ends and, in the initial drying period
from 25 minutes to 70 minutes after the start of the drying process
(YES in Step S4), the two drying heaters 124, 125 are kept
energized. Further, the drying pump 23 is stopped to stop the
circulation of the water from the tank 11, and the blower motor 126
is driven at the higher driving level (Step S5). Thus, the air in
the washing tub 3 is quickly heated, so that the air temperature is
increased in a short period of time. This control operation is
efficient for the drying, thereby reducing the drying period.
In turn, it is judged if the drying process is in the intermediate
drying period from 70 minutes to 130 minutes after the start of the
drying process (Step S6). If the drying process is in the
intermediate drying period, it is judged if time elapsed after the
start of the drying process is from 120 minutes to 123 minutes
(Step S7). Immediately after the start of the intermediate drying
period, the control operation is performed through Steps S6, S7 and
S9. That is, the two drying heaters 124, 125 are kept energized to
be driven at the higher driving level, and the drying pump 23 is
driven at the lower driving level to circulate the recycling water
at a lower flow rate. Further, the blower motor 126 is driven at
the intermediate driving level to circulate the air at an
intermediate flow rate (Step S9). Thus, the circulated air is
quickly heated to steeply increase the temperature of the air in
the washing tub 3, whereby the drying of the garment is promoted
for reduction of the drying operation period.
If the result of the judgment in Step S7 is YES in the intermediate
drying period, the energization of the two drying heaters 124, 125
and the blower motor 126 are interrupted in synchronism (Step S8).
The interruption of the energization of the heaters 124, 125 and
the blower motor 126 makes it possible to achieve the energy saving
in performing the drying process substantially without reduction in
the temperature of the air in the drying air duct 20.
In turn, the control operation is performed through Step S10 and,
if it is judged that the cool-down operation is performed, the two
drying heaters 124, 125 are de-energized. Further, the driving of
the drying pump 23 is stopped, and the tap water is supplied as the
dehumidification water into the drying air duct 20 by the water
supply valve 17. Then, the blower motor 126 is driven at the higher
driving level to circulate the air at an increased flow rate. Thus,
the heated air is rapidly circulated from the washing tub 3 to be
thereby cooled. This correspondingly reduces the temperature of the
garment in the washing tub 3 (Step S11).
If it is judged that the cool-down operation ends after being
performed for a predetermined period (Step S12), the drying process
ends.
If it is judged in Step S10 that the cool-down operation is not
performed, the two drying heaters 124, 125 are kept energized, and
the drying pump 23 is driven at the higher driving level to supply
a greater amount of water into the drying air duct 20. Further, the
driving of the blower motor 126 is switched to the lower driving
level to circulate the air at a reduced flow rate (Step S13). By
supplying the greater amount of water into the drying air duct 20
by means of the drying pump 23, foreign matter such as lint
adhering to the inner surface of the drying air duct 20 is washed
away. Thus, the drying air duct is cleaned at the end of the drying
process.
FIG. 25 is a timing chart showing a modification of the drying
control to be performed in the drying process. In the timing chart
of FIG. 25, the temperature of the air heated by the drying heater
A 124 and the drying heater B 125 is defined as a heater outlet
temperature, and indicated by a solid line on an upper side. Below
the air temperature curve, the energization states of the drying
heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125 and the driving state of
the blower motor 126 are shown.
The change in heater outlet temperature herein shown is affected
only by the drying heater A 124 and the drying heater B 125, but
not by the heat exchange between the circulated air and the cooling
water.
When the two drying heaters 124, 125 are energized with a time lag
and the blower motor 126 is driven at the lower driving level after
the start of the drying process, the heater outlet temperature is
steeply increased. When the driving of the blower motor 126 is
switched from the lower driving level to the higher driving level
to increase the flow rate of the air circulated through the drying
air duct 20 in the initial drying period, the heater outlet
temperature is once reduced and then gradually increased with the
progress of the drying process. In the timing chart of FIG. 25,
when the final drying period is started following the intermediate
drying period, one of the two drying heaters, i.e., the drying
heater B 125, is de-energized for a predetermined period (e.g.,
several minutes to about 10 minutes). At the same time, the blower
motor 126 is driven at the lower driving level. By thus driving the
blower motor 126 at the lower driving level in synchronism with the
de-energization of the drying heater B 125, the drying process can
be continuously performed without substantial change in heater
outlet temperature in the final drying period as shown in FIG.
25.
For reference, a temperature change observed when only the drying
heater B 125 is de-energized and the blower motor 126 is
continuously driven at the higher driving level is shown by a
broken line. If only the drying heater B 125 is once de-energized,
the heater outlet temperature (drying air temperature) is
significantly reduced. The significant reduction in air temperature
reduces the drying efficiency, thereby increasing the drying
period. By switching the driving of the blower motor 126 to the
lower driving level in synchronism with the switching of the drying
heaters to the lower driving level as in this embodiment, the
electric energy consumption is reduced without reduction in drying
air temperature, thereby achieving the energy saving operation.
FIG. 26 shows another modification of the control to be performed
in the drying process. In FIG. 26, the heater outlet temperature
(the temperature of the circulated air to be supplied into the
washing tub 3 after passing through the drying heater A 124 and the
drying heater B 125) is indicated by a solid line on an upper side,
and the board temperature (room temperature) T.sub.B gradually
increased in the drying process is shown below the heater outlet
temperature curve. In general, the board temperature is
proportional to the room temperature, and is generally equal to the
room temperature plus 10.degree. C. The board temperature is gently
increased with the drying operation time.
During the drying operation, the air circulated through the drying
air duct 20 needs to be dehumidified and cooled. For this purpose,
the drying pump 23 is driven to circulate the water from the tank
11. As previously described, the drying pump 23 is driven at the
higher driving level in the drying startup period to check if the
water is stored in the tank 11. In the initial drying period, the
driving of the drying pump 23 is stopped mainly for increasing the
heater outlet temperature (the temperature of the circulated air).
In the intermediate drying period, the drying pump 23 is driven at
the lower driving level to dehumidify the circulated drying air. In
the final drying period, the drying pump 23 is driven at the higher
driving level, whereby the heat exchange with the air is promoted
to increase the drying efficiency.
In the control operation of FIG. 26, when the board temperature
T.sub.B is not lower than a predetermined temperature level, e.g.,
not lower than 45.degree. C., in the final drying period, the tap
water is supplied instead of the water fed from the tank 11 for the
dehumidification of the drying air circulated through the drying
air duct. Therefore, when the detected board temperature T.sub.B is
not lower than the predetermined temperature, the driving of the
drying pump 23 is stopped, and the water supply valve 17 is
switched to supply the tap water into the drying air duct 20. This
slightly reduces the temperature of the air circulated through the
drying air duct 20, but improves the efficiency of the
dehumidification of the circulated air, thereby reducing the drying
period.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described
above, but various modifications may be made within the scope of
the appended claims.
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